Hello everyone!
Friday night at Tate's School of Discovery went GREAT. The turn out of parents, kids, staff, etc. was inspiring. To see a group of people who love wildlife, especially raptors, as much as we do is a testament to the need for what we do.

Mrs. Melissa White, first grade teacher at Tate's and President of Upstate Birds of Prey will be posting a copy of the news article that will be run in several local papers on our facebook page.  She will also be letting everyone know what papers will be running the article about Ruby's release.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Upstate-Birds-of-Prey/211684125542201?ref=hl 

 

If you did not see the event posted on our facebook and missed the release please feel free to click on the link above and you can always follow us on facebook as well. You do not have to join facebook to do so! 

Please while on facebook look at the photos of Ruby and all of our raptors currently at Upstate Birds of Prey and those we have released. 

Currently Upstate Birds of Prey does not have a designated Social Media person so updates to both the blog and facebook may not happen at the same time. We appreciate your patience during this time of growth and change!

  This is how Ruby looked when she came to us. She collided with a car and had severe head trauma!

Here is a photo of Ruby happy, healthy and ready to get back out into the world! This photos catches her red phase coloring beautifully!

 I want to personally thank all of you for your support!

Natalie Mong

Director of Rehab, Education and Founder 

Contest Time!

Good day all!
The fall colors are almost in full force. Higher elevations are experiencing them almost to full color, and they are making their way down the mountains. We do hope everyone gets a chance to get out there, and experience them this year. The high rain count this year is suppose to make for some rich colors this 2013 season!

We need your help everyone! We have entered into a contest for a free fuel card from Citgo! As you can imagine, there are many days of 200-300 miles driven, picking up injured raptors, taking them to the vet if needed, going to schools and local business to educate about raptors, and so on. The upcoming 2014 year is promising to be even busier so free fuel would really help us. If you could take moment, and vote for us using the link below, and then tell all of your friends on facebook, email, at school, etc. it would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance, and check back to see if we won! Thank you for your support!

Here's the link:
Citgo Fueling Good - Upstate Birds of Prey

Happy voting and thanks again,
Upstate Birds of Prey

Autumn Happenings

Salutations Upstate companions!

October is a fantastic month to be mountain folk! The air is crisp in the morning and warm in the afternoon, the trees are turning, and the smell of campfire smoke is bountiful in the air. Please bear with us this post, because it may it get a bit long winded. We have a lot going on, and a lot to report. So let's get started!

Upstate was asked to teach an advanced raptor rehabilitation class at the Great Smokey Mountain Institute in Tremont on Sept. 21, 2013. With the assistance of Theresa we put together a Powerpoint presentation. We must say that it went very well. We hope they enjoying learning as much as we enjoying teaching. It was a great experience to say the least.

Coopers Hawk Release

Saturday morning, before the evening class at Tremont, we met with the students and did a Coopers Hawk release. The Coopers Hawk came in with head trauma. Its head was literally upside down for nearly a week, and we were very happy to have her to (again guessing the sex due to heavier weight and larger size) recover, and be able to released her. We are sorry that we did not get a photo of her when she arrived, but there is one of her before release.

Tim and Roscoe

We here at Upstate have been working on Federal and State Permits for Education birds. Currently, Roscoe's (our Great Horned Owl) eye is healed, but needs to be monitored. He has a permanently dislocated first digit (hallux or his thumb), and a chronic degenerative joint disease in his right elbow joint. He has been declared non-releasable, and we have submitted all of the state and federal paperwork on him for him to be an educational bird. We will let everyone know when he is ready to take to programs! 

This past Saturday, September 28, we were at Tractor Supply in Maryville from 8:00am until 3:00pm.We had two tables set up with informational boards, as well as things to purchase to help support Upstate. The event was actually "Farm Day". It was a gorgeous day, and we walked away with $110.00 in donations! Our biggest sale items were the beautiful sets of owl pot holders, and the dish towels.Theresa has helped us make a display board for photos, and organize the second table of things we are selling for donations.

We'd really like to thank those crafty seamstresses who make things for Upstate to sell for donations. They not only donate their time and talents, but they also donate the materials to make the items they give to us. Natalie's mom, Helen Hockett, makes hand towels, cross stitches owls, makes cloth books, bags, and many other items which are all one of a kind creations that are truly amazing. Theresa Scherer, an Upstate Birds of Prey volunteer, helps with all of the crafty things we need help with, and also makes the awesome owl pot holders. Each set of pot holders is one of a kind, and come with an owl cookie recipe card. The hand sewn, functional items we sell for donations are limited in quantity, and again one of a kind creations!

Day 1 - Head Trauma

We also have a new patient, an Eastern Screech Owl/Red Phase, which came in with head trauma. We held a class for the first graders at Tate School in Knoxville, and while doing so we let the first grade class have the opportunity to name the red phase EASO (Eastern Screech Owl). They choose the fabulous name - Ruby!

Ruby on the left - Head held high!

We have purchased, and now have pea gravel in the mews, and waiting to be spread in the flight pens. We also have astroturf for the perches, and have stained everything - with the help of Scott and Theresa. Here's a look at the new flooring in the pins! Things are really coming together! Thanks to all the volunteers, and supporters!

As you know we work closely with "The Market" in Maryville, TN. We'd like to thank the patrons of "The Market" . Over the last two months we accumulated donations of $16.00. It may sound like a small amount, but every cent counts! 

Well I hope that gets everyone a bit caught up at least! We here at Upstate are doing fantastic, and hope our friends are as well! Thank you for all your support and love! 

Thankful,

Upstate

And The Winner Is...

Autumn's greetings friends!

The weather is superb this time of year, is it not? We hope everyone is enjoying what Autumn has to bring, and what is to come. Being a creature of flight this time of year has to be a real treat with the changing of the leaves. We hope everyone enjoys the sights, smells, and wildlife this time of year has to bring. 

Some time ago we posted a contest on our website, Upstate Birds of Prey, asking for people to submit names for the online newsletter. Well, we have a winner!

Hank Caruso

The winner is...

Hank Caruso with his winning name - "The Raptor Report"!

Ellen Rudolph was a close second with "Who Cooks for You". Hank Caruso and his wife Jane have been supporters of Upstate Birds of Prey since our first public release of Lucy - the Barred Owl. They donated money for feeding Sophie prior to her release. They also attended all public releases.While they both have a special affection for owls they also love the hawks, eagles, and all other raptors. We are blessed to have their support! Dr. Ellen Rudolph is a well published wildlife photographer who also supports us. She has taken photos at nearly all of our releases, and made generous donation. She is also the website designer, and official photographer for the Appalachian Bear Rescue. Again, we are blessed to have their support! We cannot thank them enough!

Congratulations to Hank, and thanks to everyone who participated. Our newsletter will begin circulation in November. 

Sincerely,

Upstate Birds of Prey

Supporting A Good Cause - The Easy Way

Goodsearch - Nonprofit - Upstate Birds of Prey Link




Do you want to donate to Upstate Birds of Prey, and not spend a dime? It's super easy! I'm going to show you how!

Just simply use the link at the top to start donating! After clicking the link, click "Support Us", sign up, and start raising money! You can use the site to do multiple things on the internet that will donate to us here at Upstate. One of the simpler ways is by using Goodsearch to search the web. They use Yahoo!'s search engine, and it works wonderfully. Here is a list of ALL the ways you can use this link that will donate money to us here at Upstate!

"The three primary ways you can earn money are through searching the Internet, shopping online and dining out (but keep your eye on us – this is just the beginning!) Here’s a quick explanation of each of them:

Goodsearch: Search the Internet with our patent-protected, Yahoo!-powered search engine (just like you’d search on any other search engine), and we’ll donate about a penny for nearly all searches to your selected cause.

Goodshop: Shop at one of our more than 2,800 participating stores (from Amazon to Zazzle) and a percentage of what you spend will be donated to your cause at no cost to you. Oh, and by the way, there’s a big added bonus here too. Goodshop lists more than 100,000 coupons and deals so you could save money while doing good!

Gooddining: Dine at one of our 10,000 participating restaurants around the country and a percentage of what you spend will go to your cause – again at no cost to you.

Good-to-go add-ons: The GoodShop To-Go Button, GoodApp Toolbar and Goodsearch Plug-in all install in less than 30 seconds and help you to earn donations for your favorite cause when you shop and search even when you don’t visit Goodsearch first!

Goodsurveys: When you complete a survey on our online surveys platform, we'll make a donation of about $1 to your cause!

Goodoffers: When you complete any of our special offers - from watching videos, to participating in market research, to buying a discounted treatment at a favorite local spa - we'll make a donation to your cause!

Goodgames: Play fun and entertaining games to support your favorite cause! When you play any combination of our goodgames three times, we’ll donate a penny to your cause.

Goodtvads: Watch commercials from your favorite products and brands to raise money for your cause!"

Super easy, huh?
Thank you in advance for using this service, because each fraction of a penny counts!

Upstate

Meet Good 'Ol Nick

Summer's greetings all!

It's feelin' like summer now! The humidity and heat does help the skin though! There is always a silver lining we can find. Sweating is also a great way to help detox one's body. Here are 23 ways to beat the heat if you're having trouble this summer: 23 Ways to Beat the Heat!

First off we'd like to go ahead and send out some more thank yous, because there's no such thing as "over" appreciation! 

First is Anderson Lumber Company! They made it possible for us to purchase the lumber for the flight pen for Sophie. Without this flight pen we would not have been able to properly train Sophie to hunt, or evaluate her for release.

Next is Anuts -  This company sells great tasting nuts at factory direct prices. They sell everything in bulk, by the pound, so that you save money. No fancy packaging. Only great tasting nuts! They are a business that supports Upstate Birds of Prey! Please if you are able "like" them on facebook, please do so. If we can help businesses that help us we definitely want to do that. We have been ordering from this company for four years for both our personal consumption, sending gifts to our family, and finally when we rehabbed orphaned squirrels they grew up on Anut!

Also Tracy Monday at Mother Earth Meats! Tracy is our number one business supporter! They allow us to hold educational raptor classes at The Market where their product is sold. They also offer great meat packages for donations to us via their email partners (newsletter recipients) - so sign up today on their website! They also host events for Upstate Birds of Prey. Thanks so much for supporting us, and for providing quality meats for our followers to purchase

Finally Bryan White. He not only spent his Memorial Day Weekend helping to build the flight pen, but he took time off of work to come up here and help as well. What a guy!

We can't thank everyone enough of course! Great supporters are what keep us flying high! 

Sophie's Saga (Video)

Hope you had the time of your life,
Upstate

Feathered Fellows

Greetings Upstate followers! 

It seems the sun is back, and hopefully will be out more often. This is one wet summer, but a little extra rain never hurt anyone. It looks like this Friday will be great for Sophie's release! You can check this weekend's forecast here: Weekend Weather! 

So how about some updates on some of our feathered companions? 

Rocky

First Rocky: We are still waiting to see if he can be used as an education bird, and if we will have the donations to build him a mew. On some occasions only time can tell, and this is one. He is doing well though, and we will keep you posted as we continue his care.

Next Roscoe: After three eye surgeries, and great deal of eye drops Roscoe is stretching his wings in the flight pen. He showing Sophie how the Big Great Horned Owls hunt and live! After he works with Sophie, we go back to UT to have Dr. Ward, a fantastic ophthalmologist, to recheck his eye. We need help purchasing the lumber to build a home for Roscoe, 

Roscoe

and training supplies so we can take him to Tellico Grill, The Market,

 public schools, boy scouts, etcetera, when he is determined to be an

 education bird.

Next: Sophie: She loves having Roscoe in the flight pen with her! After the release we will  post a YouTube video of Sophie and Roscoe interacting! You can check out our YouTube channel here Upstate Birds of Prey YouTube Channel. We have yet to post a video, but be sure to subscribe so you will be informed when we upload our first.

Next our "New" Red Shouldered Hawk:

Sophie

This fellow came in after falling from its nest. It was not yet ready to fledge when it arrived. Once Sophie is released on July 12th he will go into the flight pen. (Sorry, no pictures of him yet.)

And finally Wilson the Eastern Screech Owl: This owl has been a challenge! He also fell from its nest, and we believe the fall is causing some problems with its "bum or cloaca", but we are confident it will be released very soon!

Roscoe & Sophie

Well it seems busy season is winding down. We have only a handful of birds remaining here to release, or transition into education. We are hoping to visit some other rehab facilities, and learn some of their techniques. We are also hoping to perhaps go out west to watch some falconers as well! 

We have yet to build the "raptor condo". This would be where education birds will be housed along with additional rehab birds. Please consider logging onto our website Upstate Birds of Prey to make a tax deductible donation using PayPal. OR you can mail in a donation to:

Wilson

Upstate Birds of Prey

5737 Gold Pond Way

Tallassee, TN 37878

(If you mail in your donation we will send you a tax deductible receipt!)

We hope everyone has had a wonderful summer so far! We sure have! We thank everyone who has donated time, energy, and funds so far! Please spread the word about Upstate, and help us grow even more so we can continue this great adventure set before us. 

Faithful,

 Upstate

Just a reminder...Sophie's release is this Friday, July 12th

She is ready to  get out into the wild!

The evening starts at 6:00pm @ Tellico Grill

http://tellicogrill.com/
Please remember that Tracy - owner of Tellico Grill, is donating part of the night's proceeds to Upstate Birds of Prey. As you enter the restaurant there will be a sign in book for everyone who wants to be advised of future events.
If you save your dinner receipt and bring the original to "The Market" you will receive a free package or Mother Earth Meat's ground beef for FREE!
https://www.facebook.com/MotherEarthMeats
The event is free to everyone but please remember that it is only through your generous donations that we will be able to continue rescuing, rehabbing and releasing injured/orphaned birds of prey plus, your donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE just make sure you turn them into one of the Upstate Birds of Prey volunteers so we can get you a receipt at the time the donation is made.
We will have tables set up with items we are selling for donations and silent auction. Any amount over the suggested donation amount or value of the auction is tax deductible also!
While grownups are "shopping" the kids will be close by with things to occupy their time until the release.
We will also have a DVD of Sophie's life, from her first photographed peek out of her nest until last week. We will only have enough DVDs to offer 1 per family but more can be ordered Friday night!
At about 8:00pm we will have a brief class about owls and more specifically, Great Horned Owls with a question and answer time afterward.
Around 8:30 we will move to the back of the field close to the woods so we can open the carrier and let Sophie take flight. We have arranged the release so her first stop "should" be a nearby tree before she goes into the woods which will give everyone an opportunity to use your binoculars and/or cameras.
Her mind is going to be on FREEDOM so to expect a good-bye pose is out of the question lol.

We hope everyone can make it as this will be our last big public release of 2013!

Sophie needs to wait for drier weather!

Good evening for a duck!
 While summer rains are always welcome for our gardens, water sports, keeping the pollen down and cool things off, it is not very conducive for an owl release
.
I am so sorry to say that we are having to postpone Sophie's release until next Friday, July 12, 2013.
We will have dinner next week also and again things for the kids to do in the "dry" grass!

We are still having dinner this Friday, July 5th  and we will be having a class about owls, a DVD of Sophie's life starting in her nest nest until present will be playing and available. Please do not let the rain keep you in the house this Friday as we will still be at Tellico Grill enjoying an awesome dinner from wholesome Mother Earth Meats and answering any questions you may have.


When our orphans are first released into the wild they are looking for a place to call home. They need a place with good hunting and where no other owls of their species have claimed as their own. They are also learning to hunt in a much larger area. Owls hunt primarily by sitting on a branch and waiting for food to come within eye/ear range then they pounce where as hawks fly around hunting for food and catch their food "on the wing" or while still flying.
If we release Sophie while it is raining, she also has to deal with the added noise of the rain and all other predators in the woods are extra hungry because mice and other prey animals have also been staying out of the rain as much as possible.

My job as a rehabber is to take all of my knowledge and do my best to give each release the best possible chance of survival as I possibly can which is why I have made this call in time for each of you to prepare for next Friday as well.

Thank you for your patience and stay dry!

Sophie's Release

Please join Upstate Birds of Prey for Sophie’s release

Friday, July 5, 2013 at Tellico Grill in Loudon

Please join us for this joyous occasion as we release Sophie the Great Horned Owl back into

the wild. Dinner and silent auction will begin at 6 o’clock with a brief class starting at 8

o’clock. The evening will commence with Sophie’s release at 8:30. Cameras are permitted

and binoculars are suggested. All donations are tax deductible and 100% of donations go the

rescue, rehabilitation, and release of injured and orphaned birds of prey. Tracy Monday,

owner of Tellico Grill, will be donating a portion of the nights earnings to Upstate Birds of

Prey.

There will be activities for children prior to the release. If you

would like to bring your own wine for dinner please feel free, there

will be a $2 corking fee. For more information about Tellico Grill or to

to view their menu please visit http://tellicogrill.com/

For more information about Upstate Birds of Prey “Like” us on

Facebook and follow our blog

http://upstatebirdsofprey.blogspot.com

We anticipate a large turnout for the release and request that you RSVP no later than June

29th. For more information or to RSVP please contact Natalie Mong at (865) 680-9623 or

Natalie@upstatebirdsofprey.org

Hard Work

Flight Pen (Before the bottom row completion)

Tim (Up Top) and Bryan (Center)

Two New Mews

"The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand."

Vince Lombardi 

As everyone is well aware; all work put into Upstate Birds of Prey is volunteer work, and we are extremely thankful that we have hard working volunteers! During the last two weekends of May, Tim (Natalie's husband and co-founder of Upstate) and Bryan (one of our outstanding hard working volunteers), worked tirelessly to complete the construction of our flight pen! Tremendous gratitude goes to Bryan for volunteering, because of him we were able to finish our flight pen in two weekends! It is now up, and has passed state inspection! Bryan also helped construct two mews measuring 10'x10'x8' as well! Another great volunteer, Todd, helped Tim run an electrical hard line out to our hospital. A huge thanks to our volunteers! Hard work really does pay off! 

Flight pens are structures we  use to evaluate the flight (from takeoff to landing) of all raptors being considered for release. We also verify that the raptors can successfully hunt for themselves since we have been providing their meals "work free" while in the rehabilitation process. Also, the flight pen allows the raptors to build strength and recondition their bodies for going back into the wild by allowing them to fly from end to end. A flight been for Great Horned Owls, Red Tail Hawks, and other similar raptors needs to be ten (10) feet wide, fifty (50') feet long, twelve (12) feet high, with perches, water stations, and feeding stations. So for us to have an operational flight pen is a huge success!

Again, thanks to our great volunteers! If anyone is curious about volunteering please contact us at natalie@upstatebirdsofprey.org. We would be thrilled to help you find your place amongst us here at Upstate! We promise you won't be disappointed, because once you meet the creatures you are saving you'll be glad you came. 

Beholden,

Upstate

Sophie - June 1st, 2013

Community Support

Hello there Upstate ladies and gents!
We hope this blog update finds you immersed deep within the arms of summer! It truly is a wondrous season - is it not? With the longer days, the warmer air, and the cozy nights brings much work for us here at Upstate. We imagine your summer is the same, and brimming with life. 


We'd like to make everyone aware of some spectacular new supporting partners we've been blessed to have working with us! First, The Market located in Maryville, Tennessee. We'd like to extend a huge thank you to them for their support, and hope that you too will be encourage to support them as well! On Tuesday, June 18th Natalie will be giving a hour class from 11:00am - 12:00pm teaching about nocturnal, and diurnal raptors. We hope to see you there to buy some organic local grub, learn a lot about us and the raptors we work with, and lend your support.

Here is another way The Market is lending their support (via The Market's Newsletter)...

"The Cluck Stops Here"  

Package Giveaway to help Upstate Birds of Prey

Last week we mentioned that at The Market, in Maryville, we placed a rain barrel and collection jar to help support our friends at Upstate Birds of Prey.  

We truly believe in this cause and thought it would be great to do a "The Cluck Stops Here" Bulk Package Giveaway to draw attention to this organizations cause!

Upstate Birds of Prey are dedicated to the rescue and preservation of Birds of Prey through education, rehabilitation, and returning these majestic birds back into the wild.

Visit the below link to enter for your chance to win one of our most popular bulk packages!

Mother Earth Meats

Along with The Market we are also partnering with Tellico Grill  in Loudon (Tellico Village), Tennessee. We'd like to also send a tremendous thanks to them for partnering with us. We'd also hope you'd take a trip out to Loudon to try some of their delicious and nutritious food! Here is how they will be supporting us this weekend (via The Market's Newsletter)... 

Tellico Grill Karaoke Night 

to donate to Upstate Birds of Prey!

As most of you know, the newest eatery in Tellico Village is the Tellico Grill located at 222 Ritchey Road.  Not only are we proud that the Tellico Grill serves Mother Earth Meats, hormone free & grass fed beef, we are also proud of their pledge to support Upstate Birds of Prey!  On, June 8th at 6pm the Tellico Grill will host their very first Karaoke night where some of the proceeds from that evening will be donated to the Upstate Birds of Prey organization.

Great job Tellico Grill! 

We Are Proud of You.

Also that evening Natalie will be teaching about raptors, and answering question from 6:00pm until the questions run out. So come on out; have a burger, sing a tune, absorb some awesome raptor knowledge, and support a great cause! It's that easy! 

Again, a enormous thank you to The Market and Tellico Grill. It's with the help of our community that we can continue in what we do. We could not do it without you! A cause is only as powerful as the force of spirit behind it.

Grateful,

Upstate

Help Wanted!

Hidy folks!

Cinco De Mayo is not too far off! Though it's not a huge celebration in Mexico it seems America has adopted it anyway. You can find more info on Cinco De Mayo here: Cinco De Mayo! I would suggest some great enchiladas that day, or maybe some homemade tacos! Let's get on with update, shall we?

On April 26 we picked up a baby Screech Owl! The owlet fell from a tree, and has a few minor cuts, corneal abrasions (scratched on the eye), and a small tear in the retina. This little guy fell very far according to the heroes who brought it into UT, so it is a blessing it is alive! 

You can sure tell it is the "busy season"! We took two raptors in for eye exams, and left with three! The mews are filling as fast as we can build them. If anyone would like to help feed these babies (or adults), support the purchase of their medicine, or the building of more mews we would LOVE for you to help! For monetary donations you can log onto our website Upstate Birds of Prey. From there you can safely and securely log onto PayPal, and make a one time donation or a recurring monthly donation. Any amount helps, and no amount is too small. Please take a look at these faces, and decide to help us. During baby season we are spending around $250.00 per month on food alone. Also, if you indeed decide to become a supporter by donating items we need or making financial donations, email me at natalie@upstatebirdsofprey.org if you would like to see a bird you helped be release back to the wild, or if you would just like to visit our rehabilitation center. It is only by the gracious hearts 

of others that we succeed in what we do. Without 

you we could only hope to achieve all we do. 

Thanks yet again,

Upstate

Mew!

Good day everyone!
I hope this blog find you well, and awaiting summer. It seems it's trying to get here. We have a quick update concerning new renovations! 

On April 19 and 20, Tim along with volunteers Bryan, Aaron, and Melissa built this gorgeous 10x10x8 mew! They set it up for the physical and emotional growth of the fledgling Great Horned Owl! What a great job they did! We could not have completed such without our volunteers. 

Really soon if the weather holds out we are going to put the third and final mew that will be attached to the hospital. Once this last mew is built we will change gears towards the two flight pens. Then after that feat is accomplished we will then go back to the six mew condos.

Here at Upstate we need volunteers to help with so many different things. So if your heart is into volunteering please email us at natalie@upstatebirdsofprey.org . In the subject like put 'Volunteer'. It's a busy time here at Upstate, and all help is greatly appreciated! 

Thanks to everyone that helped,

Upstate

Life in the Fast Lane

Good day Upstate guru's! 

Spring is officially, and unofficially here! Though this Spring is far cooler than the last. Maybe this will mean a mild summer. I imagine everyone could get used to that. We have been uber busy here at Upstate, and I deeply apologize for the delay in updates. As the days grow longer on our little slice of the planet, so our list of things to accomplish seems to grow as well! We aren't complaining, but rejoicing in the fact that God trust us with so much!

So let's get on with the updates, shall we?

First, Roscoe, our Great Horned buddy! After his last appointment we had to order special ophthalmic ointment compounded at a pharmacy in New Jersey. We just received the ointment this week, and are putting it in his eye four times a day. Hopefully, his next doctor's appointment will show greater improvement. His eye is so swollen from the injury that we cannot even place him in a mew. With his injury dust and pollen cannot be properly flushed or moved out of the eye as they normally would be. As you can see Roscoe is having a difficult journey, but we are doing our best, and are hoping for a release sooner or later.

Remember our baby owl? The first grade students from Tatte's School (this is where Melissa, who notified us that this baby needed our help, teaches) wanted to help us out by naming the owlet, so they voted to name this baby Great Horned Owl Sophie! We think they picked an excellent name, and we appreciate their help. Sophie has been putting on the grams! When we rescued her on April 6, 2013 she weighed 1,012 grams, and on April 13 she weighed 2,588 grams! This means she gained 1,576 grams! Whoa! We can be pretty sure this is a female due to the weight, but once again we can never be positive without testing. Sophie is doing great, and we can see a exciting release in the future!

On to some super exciting news! Lowe's Home Improvement in Maryville, Tennessee was kind enough to help with the pricing of materials to finish the inside of the hospital. We put in wiring, more lighting, a refrigerator, insulation, drywall, flooring, paint, and shelving. They were so helpful! They are planning to continue to help us as we build our mews and flight pens. A huge thanks to Lowes for your ongoing support! 

Earlier in the year we sent out two lists for pricing lumber for two mews, and one flight pen. The local lumber and building company Anderson Lumber Company in Alcoa, TN came in with an offer so generous that we are able to increase from our originally planned two mews and one flight pen, to eight mews and two flight pens! Wow! The bid from Anderson Lumber Company also put us in a position to add two mews to the hospital. You can see in the photo of the place where one mew is going up. The bid is also putting us in position to build two huge flight pens, and still build a six mew condo with a hallway/work area all under roof! After we organize the hospital we will post photos of the new beautiful inside, and the new mew! Three of the mews will be 10'x10'x8', another four will be 6'x8'x8', and for reference our current mew measures 6'x10'x8'. The flight pens will both be 10'x50'x12'. Another HUGE thanks to Anderson Lumber Company for all your support!

As you can read we are moving right along with the graciousness of our local companies! Dorothy Height said "Without community service, we would not have a strong quality of life. It's important to the person who serves as well as the recipient. It's the way in which we ourselves grow and develop." Thanks be to our community for taking the same interest in our local raptors as we do. Speaking of our patients they are as well moving right along! It's a busy time here at Upstate, so hold onto your hats, and we hope you enjoy the ride with us!

Buckled in,

Upstate Birds of Prey

It's A Baby!

Hootie hoo! (That's hello in Owl for all those that don't know.)

I'm not sure how everyone else feels, but we here at Upstate feel the weather the past few days has been phenomenal! I do believe Spring has finally arrive, and with its arrival it has brought new life to us here at Upstate. Let us explain...

Nature lovers Melissa, Bryan, and Aaron watched at a nearby park a paired mother and father Great Horned Owls. As being respectful and quiet observers of nature they were rewarded one day by seeing a small head pop up out of the nest! After observing from a distance the little guy in and around the nest, finally on April 6th the owlet fledged from its nest! This is the natural progression, and next step in just about all bird's progression. It is safer to learn how to fly from the ground rather than at great heights just in case there is a problem. This way the babies can spread their wings, and glide to the ground easier.

The family of owls was a well kept secret tucked high in the arms of tree, but now that the owlet had made its way to the ground everyone was aware of the family's presence. Almost immediately some children started doing what curious children do, and were speaking loudly at the little fellow and causing mischief. Therefore help was called for.

 In the beginning when Melissa called we were discussing and trying to come to a conclusion that would enable the baby owl to stay with its parents. Over time, and after discussing with Dr. Teubner we felt that for the safety of the owlet and for the safety of the public the best solution would be to rescue this owlet. The safety of the owlet came into our concerns due to the fact that it wasn't being properly care for by its parents due to its constant human audience. Whereas the safety of the public came into concern, because even as babies owls are wild and dangerous creatures - especially to curious small children. 

We went to see the situation in person, and when we arrived the little tyke had maneuvered its way back up the tree to a low hanging branch. Once we moved everyone back, and all was quiet, it decided it was safe to glide back down to the ground. On our second attempt to safely catch the owlet - that being for the safety of not only the owlet but us as well - we were finally able to kennel it, and take him to his temporary home here with us at Upstate. Please do not think this was an easy task, though they are babies they are still able to run quite fast, as well as jump and fly somewhat. It was an adventure to say the least.

Upon getting this owlet back to Upstate we fed the hungry fellow, and gave it a thorough check up. The check up went great! This babe weighs 1,012 grams, which is almost the weight of a full grown owl. If you compare him to our other Great Horned Owl, Roscoe, who weighs 1,500 grams, this owlet hasn't far to go. We bathed the new owl by using warm water in spray bottles. The parents were doing a fantastic job of caring for it while in the nest. It is one of the hardest, if not the hardest decision to make concerning rescues - that being taking a baby raptor from its parents. Had the human spectators kept their distance, and kept as silent observers, the parent owls may have felt safe enough to continue their care of their young, but this was indeed not the case. This little owl had far too many intruding fans, and it was preventing the parents from properly feeding, and also from teaching much needed lessons that are taught on the ground. 

This owl is quite the cutie, but let us inform you; it bites, lunges to attack, uses its talons quite well, and tires to put them through our gloves every chance it gets. These are wild dangerous animals. They are not cute cuddly babies. Please call us should you see an injured or orphaned raptor in the Blount County area (note: we cannot take or rehab songbirds) at 865-680-9623.

I hope this little guy's story has planted some seeds for further thought; about being a quiet distant observer of nature, about the fierceness of even baby wild animals, and the importance of doing your part for nature's sake. Please do not hesitate to contact us with questions concerning raptors in your area. It would be our pleasure to help inform you on raptor knowledge and know how.  

Hoo hoo,

Upstate